KUCHING, 11 Oct: Exactly a year ago, Sarawak became the first state (or region if you like) in Malaysia to have a state-owned television station following the official launching of TVS.
Sarawak Yang di-Pertua Negeri, Tun Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud, launched the station at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching in conjunction with his birthday which officially falls on 9 October every year.
This year, TVS played a major role in the organisation of the birthday celebration, most notably and uniquely with live telecasts of the ‘Majlis Kesyukuran Unit For Other Religions (UNIFOR)’ and ‘Majlis Kesyukuran Majlis Agama Islam Sarawak (MAIS)’ on 8 October, a first in the country that bodes well for the pursuit of racial and religious harmonies.
The official dinner for the celebration was also telecast live a day later, and last night, TVS produced a musical theatre ‘Irama dan Lagu’ as a tribute to the legendary Tan Sri P. Ramlee who is held in high esteem by the Yang di-Pertua Negeri.
The success of the events exemplifies the professionalism of the young TVS team where all units and departments came together to produce high impact outcomes.
In his speech during the launching ceremony a year ago, Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg said the event was another historical milestone for Sarawak and a dream come true for all Sarawakians.
He said the objective of TVS was to be a platform for Sarawak content creators where local producers and performers can showcase their works.
It was hoped that it would become an effective medium for communication through news bulletins, current affairs programmes and talk shows of all kinds for Sarawak, as well as open more doors for Sarawak to make a mark in every part of the world. (TVS’ correspondents in Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, Australia, Japan and USA come immediately to mind, with England in the pipeline.)
TVS would not only be a platform for the community to get official local, national and global news, but also a platform that would encourage national integration between the various races and cultures.
The setting-up of Sarawak’s own television station was among the first few promises that Abang Johari made when he took over as Chief Minister from the late Pehin Sri Adenan Satem in 2017.
The young work force at TVS was and still is energetic, brimming with enthusiasm and confidence, exuding creativity and endless possibilities, and bringing to life in-house programmes with distinctly Sarawakian flavour like ‘Sejahtera Asia’ to perk up the mornings and ‘Borak Teh C Peng’ in the afternoons.
Many local production houses are now producing various programmes for TVS – creating new jobs, business opportunities, and will soon be a major contributor to the state’s economy.
Sarawakians no longer need to leave this beautiful state to work for media organisations elsewhere as the space to showcase their talents is now available through TVS via multiple platforms.
Our 1st anniversary today coincides with the decision by the Federal Government to allow interstate and international travels without police permits, including tourism, for fully vaccinated Malaysians starting today, and these will be enhanced further by booster vaccines soon.
This means a lot of other activities will be allowed too, albeit with strict adherence to the basic Standard Operating Procedures, like hand-sanitising, facemask-wearing and physical distancing.
TVS is ready with contingency plans to enter the endemic phase (which happens to coincide too with TVS entering its second year) as we all have to start accepting and living with the virus.
It is anticipating even more challenges ahead, especially with the digitalisation of the whole of Sarawak, including the interiors via satellite technology, that will mean a much wider scope for TVS.
This scenario is not a deterrent but rather incites excitement, as at TVS, the team is trained to be prepared for ‘anything’.
There is a quote attributed to Henry Ford (1863-1947) that is apt to what TVS has gone through for the past year:
“Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.”
Looking forward to further progress and the ultimate success.
Happy 1st Anniversary, TVS!
